An embattled Valley Water leader made harassing, discriminatory, abusive and demeaning comments to colleagues and underlings over a series of months, a recent investigation has found. Attorneys from the Meyers Nave law firm said in a summary released Friday that various statements by Santa Clara Valley Water District Board Member Rebecca Eisenberg “more likely than not”...
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County D2 candidate dismisses ‘cruel’ voter registration rumors
Issues of cultural and family duty are becoming the center of controversy in a historic race that might seat Santa Clara County’s first Vietnamese American supervisor. Madison Nguyen, a frontrunner candidate for the District 2 Board of Supervisors seat, is blasting a labor group supporting her chief opponent, Betty Duong, for fueling misinformation that Nguyen...
Silicon Valley parents face highest child care costs
A national survey ranks California among the top five states with the least affordable child care. Local officials say Santa Clara County is worse. California ranked third, second and fifth for least affordable nannying, babysitting and infant day care in 2023 respectively, based on a national survey of 2,000 respondents with children under age 14...
Silicon Valley charter school disputes education board’s discrimination claims
A public charter school targeted by the Santa Clara County Office of Education is fighting to retain its charter. Bullis Charter School in the Los Altos School District is facing accusations of discrimination by the county Board of Education that it’s under-enrolling Hispanic English-language learners, students with disabilities and socio-economically disadvantaged students. Maureen Israel, superintendent...
Santa Clara County homeless families left out in the cold
Homeless families in Santa Clara County are calling for immediate help after recent storms forced them from their temporary shelters onto the streets. It can take months to obtain shelter and supportive services in the region, and with existing facilities across the county at or near capacity, a coalition of advocates and unhoused families say San Jose...
South Bay politician faces censure for taking confidential documents
Santa Clara Valley Water District leaders are considering formally reprimanding a board director for taking confidential documents from a district office without permission. The Water Board Ethics and Conduct Committee’s three members voted Feb. 5 to recommend the full water board censure Director Rebecca Eisenberg for taking roughly 2,000 pages of documents related to an...
What Santa Clara County voters need to know for the primary election
With less than a month before the March primary elections, here’s what voters need to know before casting their ballots. This year’s primary election is filled with a slate of nationwide, statewide and local elections, including the presidential primary. California voters will be asked to whittle down the candidates who might fill the late Sen. Dianne...
Vietnamese American candidates lead Santa Clara County D2 race, poll shows
The potentially historic race to become East San Jose’s next voice in countywide policy making is heating up. A new poll this month funded by a pro-business political action committee shows two Vietnamese American candidates as the frontrunners for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 2 seat, with former San Jose Vice Mayor...
South Bay politician allegedly stole confidential documents
A Silicon Valley politician allegedly stole thousands of pages of confidential documents related to an investigation into claims she harassed and abused her colleagues. San José Spotlight has learned that security camera footage captured the incident. Rebecca Eisenberg, an elected director of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, became the subject of a yearlong investigation...
South Bay officials interrupt Kamala Harris with ceasefire demands
Interrupting Vice President Kamala Harris during a San Jose appearance made Maimona Afzal Berta’s voice shake and her body tremble, but she felt compelled to stand up and speak out. “Madame Vice President, we demand a ceasefire now,” Berta yelled out in the middle of the packed theater at Mexican Heritage Plaza on Monday afternoon,...